Awakening
by ZBBZL
Summary: "Prince Marty and Princess Kensi end up together in the end. I mean, they're meant to be." KD. Post-ep for 4x21, "Resurrection."


**Title**: Awakening.  
**Timeline**: Post 4x21, "Resurrection."  
**Summary**: "You didn't listen to the story, did you now ? Prince Marty and Princess Kensi end up together in the end. I mean, they're _meant to be_."

_For Jess who needs love and hugs during her weeks of finals, and who just posted the magnificent chapter 10 of her "Stolen Moments." Go read that instead, and you better remember to review!_

_ A little fluffy and ridiculous nonsense about the eventuality of little Martys. That could have been the summary, now I come to think of it. ;)_

* * *

She watches him from the doorway, a small smile playing on her lips upon seeing her scruffy partner who seems completely at home in an ocean of pink and stuffed animals. The girl is already fast asleep – no wonder, considering how much she made them run all around the house – her head on his shoulder and her arms tightly wrapped around a big teddy bear, but Deeks keeps on reading until he reaches the end of the story.

She's almost sure that Sleeping Beauty's name was _Aurora_ and definitely _not_ Kensi, but the girl found that adorable and fell asleep giggling, so it's not really like she can punch Deeks after that.

Slowly, Deeks extricates himself from under the girl and tucks the blanket under her chin before turning off the lamp on her nightstand and silently retreating out. The door is barely closed behind him that he gives her one of his self-proclaimed most charming smiles, bowing in front of her. "This was the "_Kids are our friends 101"_, brought to you by yours truly, Princess," he says in his ridiculous British accent.

Kensi snorts, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, about that, Shaggy boy. We'll see what Sam has to say about you using a fairy tale to express your kinky fantasies about me."

His eyes widen before his grin turns into a smirk. "_Kinky_ ?" he repeats, his tongue briefly darting out to lick his bottom lip, a mischievous spark to his ocean blue eyes as he meets hers. "What's kinky about Prince Marty saving his sleeping beauty from a terrible curse and the scary dragon ? I think _she_ liked this version of the tale better."

"Of course she did, she's _eight_. Not sure Sam will appreciate being turned into a dragon, though."

"I named the evil witch Samantha!" Deeks protests as they walk down the stairs, Kensi settling on the couch as he gathers toys. "No way she could make the connection. Besides, she's sleeping now, isn't she ? So I think that my technique was _brilliant_. What about yours, Mamma ?" he challenges back, tiara and wand in hand.

Kensi sighs in frustration then, tucking her legs underneath her as she flicks through the channels, looking for anything to mute down her partner. "Okay, you win. Kids love you best. Can you shut up now ? There's reruns of _The Voice_ starting in five."

"Since when do you watch _The Voice_ ? We said no more secrets, Kens," Deeks teases her as he joins her, draping an arm over the back of the couch behind her. She ignores him, her gaze focused on the screen in spite of the commercial for the treatment of erectile dysfunction that makes the cutest blush creep up her skin. He can't help it, then – Deeks reaches out, briefly touching her cheek with his knuckles. "You, uh, you got some glitter," he explains when she looks at him, surprise clear in her dark eyes.

She gives him a smile as she takes in his similar disheveled state. "Yeah ? Well, you're gonna need at least two showers to get rid of that paint," Kensi replies with a chuckle, bringing a hand to his messy locks. "Though, _pink_ does look good on you."

Deeks cocks an eyebrow at her, hugging his arm around her neck. "You know what else would look good on me, huh ?"

Kensi nudges him in the ribs with her elbow, _hard_. "Oh God, Deeks, shut up. There is a sleeping eight-year old little girl in this house, can you _not_ be a pig for one night ? _Please_ ?"

Deeks raises his hands with good grace, giving her a warm smile before falling silent. The show starts and for the most part of the next thirty minutes, he just hums quietly, gently tapping his fingers to her arm in rhythm as contestant after contestant go through the blind auditions. Kensi's the one breaking the silence, in the end; as annoying as Deeks can be sometimes, he did do a great job with Sam's daughter tonight, making her giggle with his smiley face made of spaghetti sauce in her pasta, helping her paint the scenery for the play she wrote and even happily playing the lead part – who could have guessed that any of Sam _Survivor_ Hanna's kids could be such an artist ?

She bumps her shoulder against his gently, lightly biting on her lip as she speaks. "Thanks for doing this with me tonight, Deeks. I – I would have been lost without you," she admits with a shrug.

"Anytime. Kid's a sweetheart. Kind of shocking news, considering who her dad is, but…" Deeks chuckles then, nervously scanning the room. "You think Sam was serious about those nanny cams ?"

"Oh, don't worry, Deeks. I won't let him hurt you," Kensi coos, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Besides, little Miss Hanna wouldn't let Daddy hurt her Prince Charming. Kid's in love with you. Too bad you're, like, _thirty_ years older than her."

"This is creepy on so many levels I'm not even gonna address that," Deeks says, shuddering for good effect. "But, Kens, come on. You didn't listen to the story, did you now ?" Deeks goes on, his voice dripping with charm and seduction as he brushes a single fingertip along her bare arm. "Prince Marty and Princess Kensi end up together in the end. I mean, they're _meant to be_."

"See, that's the problem with Disney movies," Kensi easily counters, swatting his hand away; his arm stays around her shoulders, though. "Aurora's father decides that she's gonna marry that guy later when she's just barely a baby. What kind of example does that give girls these days, huh ? Phillip didn't want to marry a princess he didn't know either, he wanted that girl in the woods. And then Disney tries to make it right by being like, _Hey, she's the same girl, lucky thing! Now you can make Daddy happy too!_"

Deeks' eyes widen almost comically as he pulls back, pointing an accusing finger at her. "So not only are you a kid hater, now you also have a thing against _Disney_ ? What the hell, Kens ? What's wrong with you ? God, we need to talk, like, _seriously_ before setting the baby-making in motion."

Kensi opens her mouth but no words come out; for almost a minute, she just gasps at him, shaking her head disbelievingly. "This obsession over putting a baby in my belly needs to stop, Deeks. This is getting far too weird!"

"Obsession that you don't seem to have such a problem with," Deeks just shrugs, leaning to grab some chips from the bowl on the coffee table. He smirks at her before stuffing some in her mouth, effectively shutting her up. "I don't remember you declining the offer, or denying that you wanted to make a baby with me, Princess. Actually, you're the one who came out and admitted you wanted little kids running around. And, oh," he continues before she can interrupt him, "that you wanted to _marry me_, too. Which I have no problem with, considering I'm a great partner and all."

Kensi aims to punch him, but Deeks grabs her fist before it lands on his shoulder. "Come on now, Kens," he chides her, shaking his head, "Stop fighting it. Your biological clock has been ticking louder and louder and it's _okay_," he says in a soft voice as if talking to a child, "I'm here for you. Whenever you freak out about how this is insane and that bringing a kid in this world isn't such a good idea, I'll be there to show you the bright side. And when our little bundle of joy is in your arms, you'll see that I was right all along."

It's official: Marty Deeks is certifiably _insane_.

That's the only explanation to why she hasn't killed him yet – he's crazy, mentally disturbed and he needs medical and psychological assistance.

She speaks his name in a low, gentle voice. "Deeks…" It's a warning, though; a warning that he's slowly but surely starting to irritate her and that if he wants to keep the parts that may enable him to father _someone else's_ child someday, he better stop _now_.

Surprisingly, Deeks seems to get it; once again, he surrenders and falls back against the cushions, his arm going back to circle her shoulders. "Okay, okay. I'm dropping it… For now. But whenever you change your mind, I'm here. Someone needs to make sure you don't traumatize those poor kids – someone who _wasn't_ raised by wolves."

She laughs, then; can't quite help it because if tonight has proven anything, it's that Deeks is better parent material than she'll ever be: Sam's daughter is positively smitten with him after just barely one playdate and Kensi wouldn't be surprised if she started calling him Uncle Marty anytime soon. What surprises her, though, is just how much _fun_ she had – not only from getting all glittered up by an eight year-old, but mostly from spending the night with her partner playing house.

She's been his _wife_ for three weeks – she knows what it feels like to wake up to Deeks making her pancakes or waffles for breakfast and then bring it to her in bed, or walking hand in hand with people gushing over how adorable they look together. It may have been just an act, a well-rehearsed play for the neighbors and eventual cameras, but Kensi doesn't really believe that; she's spent too many movie nights turning into sleepovers with him to know that there was _a lot_ of Marty Deeks in Justin Waring.

(_If_ there was anything that solely was Justin, Kensi still wonders sometimes.)

But tonight, it's not his husband qualities that Kensi got to meet; no, instead, it's something that she's already caught a glimpse of during cases when she'd oh so gladly let him handle the little human beings. Deeks _loves_ kids, he truly does: perhaps because he _is_ a kid stuck in a grown-up body. And tonight, being around a kid hasn't been as terrifying as she thought it would – _because_ Deeks was there.

It's not that Kensi doesn't like kids – honestly, she might not be very fond of them, but she doesn't mind them either. It's just…_complicated_. The idea only is _terrifying_ because there's just no training for this, no class she can be the best at.

And the idea that Deeks seems to be a natural when she's completely at a loss to what to do… That's something Kensi Blye is not comfortable with.

Deeks was right: he definitely had the worst childhood, and Kensi can't help but regret bringing that up because if there's one thing she got the chance to have that Deeks never had, it's love from her parents, love and support and affection that he was deprived of, between a mother too weak to protect him and an abusive father. And yet, despite everything, here he is, sweet and adorable and _so_ good at this it's unsettling. Why is he so good when _she's_ the one who was supposed to have it all ?

Deeks must have felt the change in the mood because suddenly he's grabbing the remote and muting the TV. "Something on your mind, Kens ?" he asks softly, gently stroking his hand over her arm.

Oh, if he knew what's on her mind…

It strikes Kensi how, for the first time, she does feel like talking, how she wishes she could just open up and confess how the very idea of tonight scared the hell out of her, so much more than shootings and gunfire… But that's just not something they can do; she refuses to bring up the subject again because she can't just magically stop being scared and their childhoods is not something she's either willing or ready to discuss. She can't explain to Deeks why she's feeling like this when she's had an idyllic childhood, all things considered, up to the moment when she lost her father; she just can't make him understand because here he is, the one who's been to Hell and back, yet oh so eager to bring a child to the world. Sometimes it doesn't even make sense in her own head, so how could she ever make him understand ?

Besides, since when do partner discuss the eventuality of having a child together, huh ?

She gives him a small smile, bringing her bent knees to her chest as she nestles deeper against him. "Nothing, just a long day, I guess ? I'm okay…"

Their gazes lock, questioning blue trying to see past through the walls that aren't exactly all the way up tonight, but that aren't completely gone either; he can sense that something is going on in his partner's head, everything in her demeanor screaming conflicted feelings and emotions, from the way she's snuggling to him and yet fencing him out from the thoughts plaguing her tonight. Deeks doesn't insist, though; Kensi was the one bringing up kids in the first place, almost a year ago now.

And, well, if she ever wants to do that again, then he'll be there, whenever that day is.

He turns the sound of the TV back on, just in time to hear the most horrible voice ever. He feels like Kensi is punishing him for something – maybe he shouldn't have mentioned tequila and Zorro touching her with his sword – because she even makes him sit through the behind-the-scenes sequence.

"Stop complaining, you big baby. You whine now, but next week you're gonna text me to tell me who's your favorite," she teases him, playfully pinching his side – Deeks almost jumps out of his skin at that.

He shrugs. "Sadly, that's probably what'll happen," he admits with a heavy sigh. "And I'll probably be broken once my favorite gets voted off, while you're gloating over my misery."

"You make me sound like a heartless monster," Kensi half-whines, half-laughs, a huge grin on her lips as she steals his glass of soda from him.

"Oh, no, you can be sweet when you want… Just not with your adorable partner. I mean, clearly, a good partner _would_ have offered to help me with that paint issue," he says, ruffling his hair with one hand. "I personally would help you very _thoroughly_ with that glitter, if you wanted…"

Kensi drapes an arm across his chest, slowly stroking her hand up and down his side. "Deeks ?"

She smirks as she sees him gulping hard, a faint blush tinting his skin. "Yes, Princess ?"

She pinches him again then, her smirk only growing bigger as she sees his teeth dig in his bottom lip. "What did I say about not being a pig ?" she asks, her hand going back to the soothing motion.

Deeks just nods apologetically, lips thinly pressed together. Satisfied, Kensi leans her head on his shoulder, making the most of his temporary pain to finish the bowl of chips and change to the sport channel for the last quarter of the game.

It surprises her when she realizes that she wouldn't trade Callen and Sam's night against theirs for anything.

She feels his lips brushing the top of her head then, but instead of pulling away, Kensi just merely nuzzles in closer. "Can I – can I tell you something ?" Deeks asks quietly, the rumble of his voice lost in her curls. She nods, briefly closing her eyes as she waits for him to speak again. "If that means anything, I, uh, I think you did really good, today. With the kid," he unnecessarily specifies. "I mean, clearly Javier has a lot going on and it's not gonna be easy, but… Well, by recent personal experience, I can say that a hug from Kensi Blye could help anyone move mountains."

And maybe that a few, well-chosen words from Marty Deeks could make her change her mind someday.

_Maybe_.

* * *

"If I were you, I wouldn't watch the tapes," Callen says, amused, as he leans against the doorway, lightly tilting his head as if trying to figure out how Kensi and Deeks got tangled up together _like that_.

Somewhere along the way, Deeks ended up lying down on his back, Kensi following suit, her face nestled in the crook of his neck, arms and legs tangled in a way that neither Sam nor Callen knew to whom they belong. But that's not what caught Sam's attention first, _no_; finding his little girl with a glass of milk in hand and the TV remote in the other, comfortably tucked in a blanket at the opposite side of the couch, innocently watching a Disney movie, _did._

"I just wanted a drink, Dad," she murmurs. "And they were asleep when I got there, so…" The little girl shrugs, a little knowing smile playing at her lips as she looks at them, a tender look in her eyes. "Are you and Unca Callen going out again soon, Dad ? I _love_ Uncle Marty!"

* * *

_the end_


End file.
